Connectivity built for you, that works for you

By Marc Allera, CEO at EE  

Without a mobile network that works, our lives don’t go the way we want them to.

While exciting developments in AI, extended reality (XR) and quantum computing are reshaping the vision of how we can enhance the lives of our customers in the future, it is important to recognise that the bedrock of mobile connectivity is giving people the reliable performance they need – whenever and wherever they need it.

Rooting for the right network

But with all UK mobile operators claiming to be reliable, how can you know which one to trust when it comes to making connectivity work for you?

Every six months for almost 15 years, RootMetrics – a team of independent mobile analysts – collect millions of data points as they travel the length and breadth of the UK to test the real-life performance of every mobile network operator.

In the past six months, RootMetrics conducted more than 623,000 individual tests in a variety of locations across every UK nation – including 16 of the largest cities – and drove more than 23,000 miles in the process.

And what did they find? EE stands alone as the UK’s best and most reliable network.

It is a record that now stretches back more than 11 years. But what does that mean for our customers? Put simply, they stay connected to their life the way they want.

In performance terms, they get fewer dropped calls, more spam calls blocked, the fastest average download speeds, better video streaming than anyone else and access to the UK’s best 5G experience.

That 5G experience – so essential for reliable connectivity in the modern world – has been supported by the sharp increase in the availability of our 5G network in the past 12 months (which is the highest of any UK operator by some distance according to recent research).

The road to reliability

Our unwavering commitment to reliability means something only if our customers feel the benefits every single day. To make sure that happens, we’ve continued to make significant upgrades in the past six months to ensure our network can meet the changing demands of modern life.

These upgrades include:

• Launching our most advanced network – 5G standalone – in 31 major towns and cities, covering an area of 21 million people
• Investing in new rural mobile sites to extend the reach of our 4G network, which now provides connectivity to almost 90% of the UK’s entire landmass
• Adding more than 1,000 small cells in urban areas such as high streets, train stations, and tourist destinations to improve performance during peak times – in places such as Birmingham, Brighton, Newquay and Cardiff
• Utilising bespoke indoor systems to strengthen our connectivity in more shopping centres, stadiums and airports
• Reusing spectrum – freed up by retiring our outdated 3G network – to boost the performance of 4G and 5G for millions of customers in every corner of the UK

We know there are still places in the UK where we need to find ways to provide the connectivity people want and we’re continuing to work on expanding our network footprint so more people in more places can benefit from it. But what these RootMetrics results show is how much progress we’ve already made.

A special thanks must go to our outstanding network and technical teams grafting round the clock in all weathers to ensure we have the best network for our customers to rely on every single day.